Hundreds of residents at a Pembroke Pines condominium are being ordered out after their entire complex was deemed unsafe.
The residents at Heron Pond Community woke up on Wednesday morning to signs on their door telling them they had until the end of next month to leave.
A resident who identified herself as Dyana spoke with 7News.
“We’re in trouble. Sincerely, we need help,” she said. “We have nowhere to go, so what are we supposed to do with our kids and our pets and everything else? Where are we supposed to go with no help, with no aid?”
The development comes after months of ongoing repairs to several buildings.
Residents showed 7News the issues they have been dealing with, which include large holes and cracks in their building. Some balconies are being held together by plywood and jacks.
“So, yeah, you can basically see in here where it’s basically falling apart. Look at this, look at this. You touch it, and it comes apart,” said Dyana.
The problems at the condo began last year as an issue impacting some balconies in the community. Residents were not able to use them.
“The balconies are unsafe,” a condo representative told residents last year.
At that time, some impacted buildings were condemned completely, and residents living in those units had to leave.
However, residents who lived in other buildings were able to stay.
Kemely, another resident of the condominium, described how a recent meeting went.
“They had a meeting, and we all went, and we were like, ‘Oh, are we going to get kicked out the same way? We want to know what time.’ And they were like, ‘No, for now, you guys are fine,’” said Kemely. “And they brought the inspectors to check our houses a couple of months ago, and they were like, ‘Yeah, you guys are fine, you guys don’t have to leave.’”
But that would all change. ACG Engineering Services, the firm assessing the building wrote in an inspection report that “at the time of the meeting, the understanding between ACG and Heron Pond was that the buildings would be repaired expeditiously and in accordance with the Florida Building Code.”
But noting repairs were too slow, the report goes on to say, “As things stand today, the structure of only one of the 19 buildings (Buildings #2) has been completely repaired and two others (Buildings #3 and #10) have been repaired to a level above 50%. None of the first six buildings (Buildings #2, #3, #10, #5, #14, and #16) has been completed and turned back over to the unit owners.”
A 7News crew went to the leasing office on Wednesday to try to speak with a manager, but no one was there.
Residents said no one has worked there in two months.
“This was negligent of whoever built this building,” said Dyana.
For some residents, the thought of picking up and moving in such little time is a nightmare.
“That’s a month away, and it’s like, everything is so expensive right now. We can’t just get up and leave, especially my mom, being a single mom. It’s hard for her to just say ‘OK’ and just move somewhere else,” said Kemely.
Back in April, the condominium association was disbanded, and a judge placed someone else in charge.
7News reached out to that person to see if they were going to offer the displaced residents some help, but as of late Wednesday night, they have not responded to the request for comment.
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Source: wsvn
